Despite the frigid temperatures outside, global warming has begun to show its effects in Saskatchewan, says a climate change researcher.
Elaine Wheaton spoke at the University of Regina on Thursday about her ideas on climate change and how it is affecting the Prairies. She also added a unique angle to the issue by suggesting ways of adapting to the changes, not just ways to prevent them.
"First, I want to introduce people to the new climate because we have already gone through so much change in our climate, it doesn't match (the climate) we had 20 or 30 years ago," said Wheaton, in an interview prior to the lecture.
She added the impact of climate change is greatest in the Prairie provinces and the north. These areas are the first to see changes because of their snow and ice coverage, which reflect the increased heat from the sun, she said.
The most obvious changes are evident in the temperature, with fewer days in the minus 40 degree range, a longer summer season and decreases in the snow cover, she said.
Wheaton goes beyond acknowledging global warming and makes suggestions on how people can adapt to these changes in regard to water, agriculture, forestry and health.
She even suggests that there could be benefits to global warming if people learn how to adapt to these changes.
"We are already committed to some degree of climate change because we have already put so many greenhouse gasses in the air and because some of them have quite long lifetimes. So that means we are already expecting quite a bit of change, even if we decreased all those emissions right now," Wheaton said.
The more people can learn about what to expect with global warming, the more likely they are to plan for it and curb the negative effects, she said.
Wheaton recognizes the damage that's already been done, but she still advocates for the continuous reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
The well-known researcher of climate change in Canada and the author of But It's a Dry Cold! Weathering the Canadian Prairies, has contributed to more than 200 publications and won numerous awards for her work.
Lynn Wells, associate dean in the faculty of arts, said the lecture's aim was to educate the public on global warming and to bring these issues into public conversation.
"We thought that climate change would be the right kind of topic this year because there has been so much discussion about it in the media," Wells said.
The lecture is part of the Woodrow Lloyd lecture series, put on by the Canadian Plains Research Centre and the University of Regina faculty of arts.
The series features "a nationally or internationally recognized scholar, writer, thinker or activist who speaks on any issue of direct relevance to Saskatchewan," Wells said.
The first lecture in 1982 featured former Saskatchewan premier T.C. Douglas and W.A. Riddell, a well-known arts supporter and founder of the U of R.
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